1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems and computer networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for marketing products based upon the detection and analysis of software and hardware components or peripherals present on a client computer.
2. Description of Related Art
With the proliferation of Internet-based technology and sales, it has become increasingly important that companies carefully target their sales and marketing efforts toward appropriate and receptive audiences. Although broadcast print, television, radio, and online banner advertisements retain some effectiveness in winning new customers through exposure to sheer numbers, marketing evolution is leading toward the provision of product information based upon the user""s behavior and preferences.
Online profiling coupled with advances in database technology and knowledge base techniques enables increasingly targeted communications with consumers based both upon the stated preferences of those consumers and their prior purchasing behavior.
Certain methods exist today for marketing products to consumers based upon the stated preferences of the consumer. By way of example, a software manufacturer may elect to collect preferences of consumers and potential consumers through a survey. Such a survey can be conducted through the mail, by phone interview, and/or through a Web site. For purposes of clarity in this example, this disclosure will use the example of a survey posted on a Web site. The software manufacturer places a survey on the Web site which is accessed and completed by the consumer. The software manufacturer generally provides some sort of incentive for the consumer to complete the survey. Results of the survey may be collected, stored, aggregated, and analyzed for the purpose of determining the behavior of the consumer. Based on this information, the software manufacturer may choose to send a print advertisement, email communication, or other marketing communication to the consumer based upon the answers to the questions provided on the survey. The marketing communication may be general, based upon grouping the responses into demographic groups, or may be individualized utilizing a knowledge-based determination of the consumer""s preferences based upon that consumer""s responses.
In another example, a consumer may purchase a new hardware item for a computer system for which the manufacturer includes a registration information packet. This registration information packet could be in the form of a registration card, requesting from the user of the computer system such information as name, address, and phone number and containing a number of questions designed to give the manufacturer insight into the consumer""s purchasing behavior, profession, income, and so on. Hardware manufacturers may include an electronic version of the registration packet or may link to the registration packet to the Internet, where the information can be collected immediately into some sort of database storage. When the user returns the registration information to the manufacturer, the manufacturer will then have a record of the manufacturer""s product purchased by the user in addition to any of the supplementary information requested and/or supplied by the consumer. Based upon the knowledge of what product the user purchased, when the user purchased the item, and any combination of the supplementary information, the manufacturer can choose to target marketing communications to this user. This technique of collecting registration information is not restricted to hardware manufacturers. Indeed, this collection and use of registration data for marketing purposes is common in all types of business, including products such as software, consumer electronics, appliances, and many other products not related to computer systems.
Disadvantageously, in typical existing mechanisms for collecting, storing, and analyzing consumer preferences, the process of generating notifications of new and related products can be time-consuming and imprecise. These methods of collecting consumer stated preferences and past purchasing behavior rely upon many factors, for example: the consumer responding at all to marketing surveys and/or registration information requests; the consumer accurately answering questions about previously purchased products and answering other system configuration-based questions; properly interpreting the consumer""s stated preferences or observed behavior into relevant marketing tactics. To deliver hard-copy product notifications such as brochures, consumers are generally grouped into segments to minimize the number of different targeted product advertisements generated. If a preferred communication is email, the manufacturer and/or distributor must customize the email communication and send it after the fact. It would be more desirable for communications regarding the new or related product to be based on firm, timely knowledge of a consumer""s computing environment and delivered in a timely manner.
A method for scanning the user""s computer for the presence of certain software programs for the purpose of providing updates to those software programs is disclosed in the application, xe2x80x9cAutomatic Updating of Diverse Software Products on Multiple Client Computer Systemsxe2x80x9d, U.S. Ser. No. 08/660,488, filed on Jun. 7, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,643 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A similar method is currently in use at the Web site http://www.mcafee.com, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as of the filing date of the present patent application.
FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for updating diverse software products on a user computer system similar to the method of Ser. No. 08/660,488. System 100 comprises a plurality of vendor computer systems 102 communicatively coupled via the Internet 106 to a service provider computer system 106 containing an update information database 108, to which a user computer 110 containing an update application is also coupled.
Service provider computer system 106 comprises, among other elements described in Ser. No. 08/660,488, an update information database 108. Update information database 108 contains information, such as update name, version, location, installation instructions and the like, about products for which updates are available. Client computer 110 comprises an update application 112 for periodically communicating with the service provider computer system 106 for checking against the contents of the client computer 110 products specified in the update information database 108. If a product specified in the product information database 108 is identified on the client computer 110, the client computer is placed in communication with the relevant vendor computer system 102 to download or install the software update.
However, it would be desirable to provide a system for marketing software, hardware, and related products to users of computer systems based upon the user""s current computing environment configuration.
It would be further desirable to provide a system for the marketing of products that are not yet detected on the user""s computer, based upon a combination of the absence and/or presence of hardware peripherals and/or software on or connected to the client computer.
It would be further desirable to provide a system that is relevant and compelling to the individual user by ensuring that the related product information provided is based upon the individual user""s computing environment configuration.
A method and system for actively marketing products to a user of a client computer that is coupled over a network to a service provider computer system are disclosed. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device, a method, or a computer readable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computer network wherein program instructions are sent over optical or electronic communication lines. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
The system generally comprises a product information database, a marketing rule knowledge base, and an opportunity detection object. The product information database comprising product summary files that facilitate determination of presence or absence of products associated with the client computer, the marketing rule knowledge base comprising opportunity rule files governing marketing opportunities, and the opportunity detection object for determination of marketing opportunities are utilized to determine active marketing opportunities and may be downloaded to the client computer from a service provider computer system. The opportunity detection object may comprise a scan engine, an opportunity analysis engine, and a presentation engine which collectively determine and present marketing information to the client computer user. The scan engine compares the client computer against the product information database to determine the configurations of the client computer and to generate a client computer inventory database. The opportunity analysis engine analyzes the client computer inventory database against the marketing rule knowledge base and generates a list of marketing opportunities for the client computer. The presentation engine analyzes the list of marketing opportunities and provides marketing and/or other information regarding marketed products to the user.
In a preferred embodiment, a product information database, a marketing rule knowledge base and an opportunity detection object are downloaded to a client computer from a service provider computer system. The opportunity detection object is executed to analyze the configuration of the client computer and generate a list of marketing opportunities.
According to a preferred embodiment, the opportunity detection object comprises a scan engine, an opportunity analysis engine and a presentation engine. These engines collectively serve to scan a current configuration of a client computer, analyze the current configuration for marketing opportunities, and present marketing information to a user of the client computer.
The scan engine compares the signatures resident on the client computer for the client hardware and client applications against the product information database that may be downloaded to the client computer. The product information database comprises one or a plurality of product summary files enabling the opportunity analysis engine to detect the presence of a product on the client computer. If the scan engine detects the parameters specified in the product summary file for a product on or connected to the client computer, the scan engine records information for the matched product in an inventory database, which generally comprised of a list of existing products associated with the client computer.
The opportunity analysis engine generates a list of marketing opportunities for the client computer by analyzing the inventory database against the marketing rule knowledge base. The marketing rule knowledge base preferably comprises one or a plurality of opportunity rule files indicating the opportunity key for a related product that may be marketed to the user of the client computer and information about how to present the marketing opportunity to the end user. The opportunity analysis engine processes the inventory database on the client computer to determine whether the appropriate conditions exist for marketing a related product to the user of the client computer. When an opportunity is detected, the opportunity analysis engine records information for the match in a list of marketing opportunities.
The presentation engine analyzes the list of marketing opportunities generated by the opportunity analysis engine and provides information regarding related products to the user of the client computer. Related products may be, by way of example, software applications, hardware items such as additional memory, as well as services such as support, training, connectivity service, and the like. The examples presented herein should in no way be construed as limiting the types of products that may be marketed to the user of the client computer. The marketing information presented to the user may be a commerce opportunity, an advertisement displayed to the user, additional information about a related product, and the like based upon the context of the configuration of the user""s client computer. Examples of further information about the related product include, but are not limited to, a download location, a purchase location, a search at a vendor""s search engine, and the like. Information regarding related products may also be presented to the user of the client computer via any number of methods, from displaying the information on the user""s screen, to a communication sent separately to the user. It is emphasized that these are examples of related marketing information and presentation methods and should in no way be construed as limiting the scope or context of a preferred embodiment.
Using the method and system provided herein, a service provider is able to accurately determine the current configuration of a client computer and distribute relevant marketing information about related products directly to a user of the client computer without having to rely solely upon a user""s stated preferences or observed behavior.